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[[quoteright:350:[[Literature/{{Matilda}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/60be2d2e_807b_4fe6_b5ba_8f1efe0031d2.jpeg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Students are always a [[{{Pun}} hairbreadth]] away from invoking [[EvilPrincipal Trunchbull's]] wrath.]]
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!!Authors
* The books of Creator/RoaldDahl often feature adults who make it their jobs to sadistically abuse and taunt children.
* Creator/StephenKing. Usually in horror, kids are safe. Not in Stephen King's universe. He'll kill a kid. This is especially clear in ''Literature/{{IT}}'', where the very first person in the novel to bite it is six-year-old George Denbrough, the little brother of the main character. Just to make this painfully apparent, the way he dies: he's half-drowned in a drain and then has his arm ripped off at the joint by a MonsterClown.
* Pick a Graham Masterton novel, any Graham Masterton novel (but especially ''Night Wars'').
%%* Creator/DarrenShan's ''Literature/TheDemonata'' and ''Literature/CityTrilogy loves''.

!!Works
* In ''Literature/AlexRider'' [[RareFemaleExample Julia Rothman]] and other members of Scorpia have the majority of London school children injected with nano-capsules containing cyanide, and plan to dissolve the capsules if the UK government does not accede to an impossible request. Rothman herself also [[spoiler:has Alex injected--after not being able to watch his father's death in person, she wants to see the son]]'s.
** In the first book, the mastermind's plan is to have a deadly disease released into every school in Britain.
** Realistically this applies to pretty much every villain in the series at some point, and given their interactions with [[TeenSuperspy Alex]], even the "good guys" at [=MI6=]. They essentially forcibly conscript [[ChildSoldiers a teenaged Alex]], and while they generally aren't trying to hurt him, they are intentionally putting him in life-threatening situations on a regular basis.
* In ''Literature/AmericanPsycho'', Patrick Bateman stabs a small boy to death just to see if he enjoys it. He doesn't... because he doesn't find it ''evil enough'':
-->''"How useless, how extraordinarily painless, it is to take a child's life... It's so much worse (and more pleasurable) taking the life of someone who has hit his or her prime, who has the beginnings of a full history, a spouse, a network of friends, a career, whose death will upset far more people whose capacity for grief is limitless than a child's would, perhaps ruin many more lives than just the meaningless, puny death of this boy."''
* ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'': If he has to, Marco will. He won't put the life of one child ahead of the lives of himself, his family, his friends, and the rest of the world.
* In ''Literature/AnotherNote'', Beyond Birthday's second victim is a 13-year-old girl by the name of Quarter Queen. Like all of BB's victims, she was first anesthetized with some kind of drug. Then she was bludgeoned to death with some heavy (but undisclosed) object, and her eyes were gouged out and crushed post-mortem.
* ''Literature/TheArtsOfDarkAndLight'': The King of Savondir is openly willing to do this:
-->You can trust [[ThirdPersonPerson His Royal Majesty]] will personally strangle every child in Montrove with his own hands if that is what is needed to teach those rebels who is their [[BlatantLies righteous]], God-given King.
* In the ''Literature/AscendanceSeries'', Sage, the main character, once kicks a kid in the head hard enough to leave a dark bruise. He later remarks that a better person might've regretted kicking a kid, but he didn't.
* In ''Literature/{{Beloved}}'', Sethe killed her infant daughter Beloved -- and tried to kill her three other children too -- because she believed that letting them fall back into slavery was AFateWorseThanDeath. While she believes that she was justified in doing this, it causes her family to be shunned and scorned by the rest of the town and the vengeful spirit of her dead daughter to haunt her house.
* ''Literature/BennyRoseTheCannibalKing'':
** Benny Rose preys on children and teenagers and eats them while they're still alive. He turns out to have been like this even before his transformation into a supernatural entity.
** The senior citizens of the suburb that Benny Rose haunts turn out to be in on his plans to murder and devour kids. They hate children, so they made a deal with him that he can hunt the kids in their neighborhood so that he rids the neighborhood of them.

* Many people in the ''Literature/BlackTideRising'' series comment on the fact they don't like killing the zombie children, and while we don't see it happen the characters clean up the remains of children on occasion.
%%* ''Literature/TheBookOfLostThings'': There are very few who ''wouldn't''.
* ''Literature/{{Bravelands}}'':
** In the first chapter Titan takes over Gallantpride by killing the leader. He tries to kill Gallant's two cubs, Fearless and Valor. Fearless runs away while Valor is (narrowly) spared because she is female. Titan later tries to kill the year-old Fearless in anger when his own son gets kidnapped by cheetahs.
** A group of cheetahs kidnap Titan's very young son Ruthless in retaliation for lions always stealing their prey. They attempt to kill Ruthless, but Fearless and his baboon friends save him in time.
* ''Literature/ABrothersPrice'' plays it straight with Keifer Porter, who would not only hurt a child, he would rape a child, too. The rape is downplayed in the narrative, as his "servicing" her, as that's how sex is usually described in the setting, and he is [[ExoticExtendedMarriage married to her]]. It is averted with Captain Raven Tern, who would, indeed, prefer not to corner the frightened children in the Whistler farm, because she might have to kill one if there was a fight. The law of the land is that, for some crimes, the whole family is put to death, including children. None of the heroes like this. [[spoiler:In the end, the Whistler family plays a vital part in avoiding the execution of a child.]]
* ''Literature/TheCaliphate'': Fatima Al Khalifa not only hurts children, but takes an inordinate amount of pleasure in doing so. She flays a child alive as a example to her other servants. She commands her guards to brutally rape the protagonist, while she watches with great pleasure. In the aftermath of a battle, she comes across an injured little girl begging for help. Fatima obliges by sadistically stomping on her head until she's no longer recognizable. It's heavily implied that she experienced powerful orgasms while she stomped the child to death.
* ''Literature/ChooseYourOwnAdventure'': Given that this series of books was aimed at an audience of 10- to 14-year-olds, and the main protagonist was – given he/she was referred to in the second person – implied to be a reader in that age group, several endings involving death are highly disturbing, frightening and graphic, and are heinous acts against children or young teenagers committed by individuals without conscience or without fear of the consequences. While some are acts of nature (being buried alive in avalanches, mauled by tigers, etc.), other deaths were meted out by people who were purely evil: drawing and quartering, being dipped in hydrochloric acid and hot sulfur, being taken to a deep-level basement in a warehouse in the middle of a forest and left for dead, being handcuffed and locked by a corrupt police chief and left to heat suffocate in the back seat of the squad car (while he goes inside for coffee, doughnuts and to sexually harass the waitresses) … and one ending that is simply ended as "'''CENSORED DUE TO EXTREME VIOLENCE'''."
* ''"City of Ghosts"'': The main villain of the first book is a ghost of a woman who murdered several children in an attempt to resurrect her own dead child. In the actual story, the ghost steals Cassidy's Life Thread and tries to use it to resurrect herself, which would kill Cassidy.
** Ironically, Cassidy herself is forced to dispel a ghost of a nine-year-old child in the second book, since [[spoiler: he was transforming into a ''poltergeist'' and could have wreaked immense havoc if unstopped.]]
* In ''Literature/ChroniclesOfTheRaven'', Erienne's children are held hostage by the Black Wings in order to force her cooperation. When she refuses, both children, and her husband, are murdered in a fairly gruesome fashion.
* ''Literature/TheCompound'': When in the yellow room, Eli wants to drop [[spoiler:Quinn, an infant]] the first time he holds him.
* In Chet Williamson's ''Literature/TheCrow'' Kali is a leather clad killer who not only has no issues with torturing or gunning down children, she actively enjoys it and derives a sick sexual thrill from her evil acts. She even admits that the only way she can get off is if she kills something, the crueler she can get the more she enjoys it.
* In the final sequence of ''Literature/TheDayOfTheLocust'', repressed accountant Homer Simpson, in the throes of a HeroicBSOD, finally reaches his RageBreakingPoint when EnfantTerrible Adore Loomis hits him with a thrown rock, and he unleashes his anger by [[spoiler:stomping the child to death. Within seconds, he is literally torn to pieces by the crowd outside a nearby film premiere]].
* ''Literature/DeepSecret'': The villains have no problem hurting children — and in fact, they ''murder'' several kids [[spoiler: who are supposed to be heirs to the multiverse's largest empire]]. It leaves main character Rupert feeling incredibly ill — and like [[MyGreatestFailure a complete failure]].
* In the Literature/DirkPittAdventures book ''Valhalla Rising'', the leader of the villain's death squad attacks a plane being flown by Dirk that was conducting a charity flight for sick kids.
* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'': In ''Literature/{{Thud}}'' when Vimes's house is attacked by dwarves, Vimes sees a short, dark figure enter the nursery. [[spoiler: Fortunately for both Sams, the Summoning Dark intervenes by causing young Sam's toys to fall into a pattern resembling its symbol, scaring the dwarf enough that he backs out of the room and through the bannister rail, falling to his death.]]
* In the ''Literature/DisgaeaNovels'', [[Characters/DisgaeaHourOfDarkness Laharl's]] aunt [[Characters/DisgaeaNovels Yasurl]] abused him as a child because [[FantasticRacism he is half human]].
* ''Literature/Dive2003'':
** In the flashbacks, Captain Blade is willing to strike or whip the thirteen-year-old Samuel at the slightest provocation and also is willing to murder young Spanish prisoners. One of his men, York, also backhands Samuel for questioning Blade in one scene, although this is portrayed as a CruelToBeKind moment that keeps Blade from expressing his displeasure himself by whipping Samuel.
** Before going to sea, Samuel is kidnapped by a chimney sweep who sends dozens of kids up chimneys as slave laborers and is shocked when Samuel actually survives long enough to get too big to fit into chimneys anymore.
** [[spoiler:Marina]] is willing to endanger the four teenaged interns over the treasure.
* ''Literature/{{Dragonvarld}}'': The human warriors in Dragonkeep have no issues with slaughtering the half-dragons, with the oldest teenagers and many toddler aged or younger, believing [[FantasticRacism they're disgusting monstrosities]].
* In ''Literature/DrFranklinsIsland'' Miranda, having seen what the titular MadScientist [[ForcedTransformation intends to do to her and Semi]], tries to appeal to the consciences of any member of his staff she can talk to, saying they're about to "basically kill two children". She sways Dr. Skinner, but after his attempt to help them escape is foiled he falls back in line behind his boss. The psychological experiments cause his conscience more trouble than the PainfulTransformation.
* ''Literature/DustDevils'': The vampires in the book have no problem with age when it comes to victims and gleefully murder children throughout the entire book.
* ''Literature/ElementalMasters'': In ''Literature/TheWizardOfLondon'', Lady Cordelia creates her ghost servants by killing children found on the streets and immediately binding their spirits to the physical world.
* ''Literature/AnEmberInTheAshes'': Commandant Keris Veturia attains an almost orgasmic enjoyment from killing children. From whipping a child to death and stomping on a newborn baby's skull to smiling broadly at her own son's execution, she only seems to be happy when she's murdering a kid.
* ''Literature/EmilyBonesCityOfGhosts'': The BigBad has no qualms murdering the heroine, who is a 13-years-old girl, to use her life energy and liberate the GreaterScopeVillain. It is also repeatedly stated that he (and by extension, the other dead) would murder Sophie, Emily's little sister (who is about ten), if given the chance.
* ''Literature/TheEmpiriumTrilogy'': Main antagonist Corien kidnaps elemental children and forces them to be his soldiers.
* In ''Literature/TheEnemy'' series, adults and older teenagers have turned into monsters with an overwhelming urge to kill and eat children, often going after the smallest and most vulnerable. The first book opens with a nine-year-old boy being snatched while playing in a supermarket car park; he survives, but a number of other kids in the series are not so fortunate.
* Lieutenant Karool Tapp from ''Literature/EnteringTenebrea'' when she isn’t busy hunting down dissenters and aliens, likes to relax by enforcing her brutal authority on the locals. She takes perverted delight in tormenting children and enjoys the sounds of screaming.
* ''Literature/FateZero'''s Caster, as shown in his EstablishingCharacterMoment, finds giving children [[HopeSpot a moment of hope]] before siccing [[EldritchAbomination nightmarish monsters]] on them to be a fun pastime.
* In ''Literature/TheFindersStoneTrilogy'' novel ''The Wyvern's Spur'', [[BigBad Flattery Wyvernspur]] kidnaps Gaylin’s newborn daughter and threatens to kill her unless Giogi [[HostageForMacguffin hands over the titular spur]]. Specifically, he threatens to feed the infant to his wraiths.
* ''Literature/TheFirstRuleOfSurvival'' sees a child abduction ring in South Africa disposing of inconvenient evidence after the boys they abduct are of no further use. When bodies are discovered of teenage boys who disappeared as far younger children several years earlier, a reluctantly CowboyCop takes the case.
* In ''Literature/FlightToTheLonesomePlace'' by Alexander Key, Anna Maria Rosalita, about twelve years old, is smacked so hard in the face by her step aunt that she is dazed and has serious bruises days later. The same woman wants to bring her home to the Dominican Republic to a village where the people view Anna Maria Rosalita as a practitioner of black magic and want to kill her. Also, Ronnie Cleveland, twelve years old, is running from men who want him dead because of what they think he knows.
* ''Literature/AFlyWentBy'': Subverted for the fox. The cow thought that he wanted to kill her calf, but he didn't.
* ''Literature/ForestKingdom'': In book 4 (''Beyond the Blue Moon''), Duke Alric's wizard Snare tries to overthrow his boss and threatens to kill two-year-old Prince Stephen (the Duke's grandson) in order to force him into compliance. Luckily, he's stopped by the combined actions of Duke Alric and Queen Regent Felicity.
* Killer, in Marti Steussy's ''Forest of the Night''. [[spoiler:Big Eyes gets underfoot; Killer ''swats him like a fly''.]]
* ''Literature/FoxDemonCultivationManual'': The bandits who kidnap Madam Liang and her sons. They try to force Song Ci, who's only ten at the time, to jump on broken planks over a pit full of stakes. He's too frightened to do it, so they beat his eight-year-old brother to death.
* ''Literature/TheFragilityOfBodies'': Not only is the entire railway GameOfChicken about putting kids in incredible danger to [[BloodSport gamble on their lives]], but Juan Garcia orders his henchmen to kill the two kids in the final game just to tie up loose ends.
* OlderThanRadio: In the original ''Literature/{{Frankenstein}}'', the Monster kills his creator's much younger brother William in a fit of rage, and ''then'' frames the child's nanny for the murder.
* ''Literature/{{Furthermore}}'': The locals have no problems killing and even [[EatsBabies eating]] children who come from outside. A girl slightly older than Alice was actually eaten in the backstory.
* The reactionary right-wing Catholic group Umbra Domini in ''Literature/TheGenesisCode'' [[spoiler:orders the death of 18 children and their mothers.]]
* ''Literature/GirlsDontHit'': Joss kills a young woman who's revealed to be pregnant afterward. The father, a politician, had ordered the hit as she was blackmailing him over it. Evidently the fact this would kill his own baby didn't stop him. Joss just demands a twenty percent increase, since she won't kill for free.
* The ''Literature/{{Gone}}'' series doesn't love this trope—it ''worships'' this trope. Just read it. One example is Drake, who kills anyone who gets in the way of what he wants e.g. coyotes-in-daycare scene. Or just gets in his way. Or just for the fun of it.
* ''Literature/TheGordianEvent'': It's implied that Alex was brutalized and raped by escaped convicts.
* ''Literature/HarryPotter'':
** Voldemort's first known act in the books is to attempt to kill a baby, and his Death Eaters attack muggle children just as much as they do muggle adults (including one scene in the 7th book where Voldemort kills a German woman and her two kids). He also considers killing a little boy ForTheEvulz on his way to kill Harry's parents, when the kid thinks his getup is a Halloween costume, but decides against it. His Death Eater followers aren't above torturing Hogwarts students in the 7th book and ordering students to torture each other (the youngest of whom are preteens).
** Umbridge likewise makes rule-breakers write lines using their own blood with a magic scarring quill, clearly not even having an age-limit for this punishment, and when she gets, years later, the power of life and death over Muggle-borns, little children are to receive the same sentences as adults--tortured, imprisoned with Dementors, and possibly even killed.
** In the ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows seventh book]]'', one of the Carrows decides to pin a screw-up on some Ravenclaw students and hand them over when Voldemort shows up. Said Ravenclaws are first years. First years are eleven years old.
* ''Literature/HellsChildren'': A little boy's head explodes. A little girl is tortured, then raped, and then has her arms, legs, and eyes, amputated. But for some reason, she survives them all thanks to her powerful telekinesis. And some point in the story, a man cuts out the brain of his own son.
:* Literature/HereticalEdge
** Ruthers and his hardliner Heretic allies' [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman hatred of Strangers]] extends to Alter infants and toddlers. They're perfectly willing to murder human babies as well. Or kidnap them to force their mother to surrender to them.
** Fossor had every intention of kidnapping a seven-year-old child for the purpose of raising her to be his Tyke-Bomb servant. He was only talked out of it when presented with a deal that would immediately give him a different servant and allow him to take the child anyway once she reaches adulthood.
** Fahsteth is practically gleeful when he's about to eat eleven year old Hannah Owens, only lamenting that he didn't have enough time to enjoy his meal.
** Reggie Owens was an [[AbusiveParents Abusive Parent]] before he became a vampire. Afterwards, he basically dedicated his life to murdering his daughter.
** The Hiding Man kidnapped and murdered a number of young children solely as part of a Batman Gambit.
** In [[GoodIsNotSoft protagonist examples]], when dealing with [[EnfantTerrible Ammon]] neither Flick nor Asenath have much trouble throwing a knife into his heart, or throwing him out an upper story window.
* By virtue of the protagonists of the ''Literature/{{Goosebumps}}'' books always being kids or preteens, nearly all the villains are perfectly willing to harm children -- some even make them their primary targets.
* The whole plot of ''Literature/TheHungerGames'' is structured around the idea that the capital is more than willing (and happy to) kill children in order to keep the districts in line. "Psh, we'll just kill their children! That'll prevent another uprising!"
* In the ''Literature/IRichardPlantagenetSeries'', UsefulNotes/RichardIII refuses to have [[TheFateOfThePrincesInTheTower his nephews]] murdered. Not only does he think it's morally wrong to kill children, he recognizes that it would taint his reputation if anything happened to them. The Duke of Buckingham, who wants the boys dead and wants Richard's reputation ruined, has the boys taken to one of his castles and starved to death. [[spoiler: Although, he doesn't know one was an imposter and the younger prince still lives.]]
* ''Literature/InDeath'': A number of criminals in the series would happily do this, and so much more. [[spoiler: Eve and Roarke's parents engaged in this trope]].
* In ''Literature/{{Insurgent}}'', [[spoiler:Eric]] shoots a Candor child in the head at point blank, simply because [[spoiler:at his age, his Divergence wouldn't be developed enough, making him useless to Jeanine]].
* In Geoph Essex's ''Jackrabbit Messiah'': [[CoolOldLady Maggie Calloway]] is a very PragmaticHero who has no compunctions about forcibly taking a small girl from her mother and locking her in a freezer if it serves the [[TheNeedsOfTheMany greater good]]. Her tactics rub off a bit on protagonist [[CombatPragmatist Amity Sheridan]], too, though as the girl points out, Amity [[YouWouldntShootMe might have been bluffing]]...even ''she'' isn't sure about that after. Of course, considering [[SealedEvilInACan who they think the girl might be]], it could be justified. [[spoiler: Turns out, it is.]]
* Madame De Clairwil from ''Literature/{{Juliette}}'' is a vicious sadist masked by good looks and charm. She uses her immense wealth and power to divulge in her own cruel desires. She particularly enjoys hunting children for sport, the ones that aren't killed immediately are usually brought back to her torture chambers where she takes any liberty she wants with them.
* ''Literature/TheLamplighter'': Nan regularly beats Gerty, regularly tells her she's ugly and unwanted, denies her shoes, doesn't allow her to eat anything but table scraps, boils a kitten to death in front of her when she realizes Gertie is fond of it and once beat one of the other children in the neighborhood when they were picking on Gerty.
* ''Literature/LaughingJack'':
** Torturing children is Laughing Jack's specialty; he mauls the 5-year-old James without granting him the mercy of death, and it's implied that the disfigured children in his AmusementParkOfDoom are also Jack's victims. In his origin story, Jack's final words to Isaac suggest that he sees torture as a twisted game to share with all lonely children in the world.
** Some of Isaac Grossman's victims are children. He kidnaps a boy in a burlap sack, BoundAndGagged throughout the whole torture process, which includes [[{{Fingore}} removing his fingernails with pliers]], smashing his kneecap and carving insulting words into the boy's chest. He's filled with so much hate at the boy still clinging to life that he bashes his head to bits. There is also a girl that Isaac {{forcefeed|ing}}s with glass before using her stomach as a punching bag.
* Kallor from ''Literature/MalazanBookOfTheFallen'' intends to kill Silverfox while she is still young in ''Literature/MemoriesOfIce''. [[spoiler: He nearly succeeds when he attacks her]] while everyone else is focused on the battle of Coral.
* ''Literature/MaxAndTheMidknights'': After [[spoiler:Knithead]] thanks [[TheProtagonist Max]] for getting rid of Gastley and Fendra in [[Literature/MaxAndTheMidknights the previous book]], [[spoiler:he]] orders the nearby archer Bodkin to shoot Max. The archer complies to the order and fires an arrow at her. [[spoiler:It's only thanks to Queen Nerelia's crystal that Max survived, since it was where the arrow struck and took the force of the shot.]]
* The whitecoats from ''Literature/MaximumRide'' have no qualms experimenting on humans or animals, but children end up abused by them the most. It gets to a point where the main Flock have PTSD-like symptoms when at a veteranarian's office or hospital.
* In ''Literature/LesMiserables'', the National Guard don't care that Gavroche is a child. They shoot and kill him anyway.
* ''Literature/MonsterOfTheYear'': During the big riot the night of the contest, Myrna Smud whacks young Lulu Toomaloo, who's been leading a cheer in support of the monsters, over the head with her "Ban all monsters" sign. That's what triggers the crowd to go ''completely'' nuts and turns them all in favor of Lulu and the monsters.
* In ''Literature/TheMouseWatch'', [[BigBad Dr. Thornpaw]] doesn't hesitate to attack Bernie (a twelve-year-old) and Jarvis (a teenager). [[spoiler:Or make a human little girl one of the potential victims of a rampaging subway train.]]
* ''Literature/MurderOnTheOrientExpress'': The victim, Ratchett/Cassetti, was a gangster who kidnapped the three-year-old daughter of a wealthy family for ransom. Once they paid up, he revealed he had killed the child within an hour of kidnapping her. This triggered a chain of tragedies for her family, as well as those who worked for them, [[spoiler: and lead to his death by her loved ones' hands. Even Hercule Poirot, who believes in bringing killers to justice, decides to let Cassetti's murderers go free due to the heinousness of his crime.]]
* ''Literature/{{Musashi}}'' contains a rare example of child-killing committed by the main character. After Musashi cripples or kills two headmasters of the Yoshioka School, leadership transfers to a twelve-year-old. A duel is set up between Musashi and the kid "assisted by retainers". Musashi's first move during the duel is to ignore the retainers and rush the kid, cutting him down. Even by mass ValuesDissonance of the book, the retainers are [[WhatTheHellHero outraged by this]]. Musashi, however, works by his own [[BlueAndOrangeMorality unique moral code]], by which the killing isn't anything he should feel bad about. He comes to regret it later on.
* "Literature/MrWidemouth": The titular Mr. Widemouth tries to trick the then five-year-old narrator into killing themself through various methods, such as jumping out a window or juggling knives. When these attempts fail, he just tries to stab them himself. [[spoiler:While the narrator escapes, at the end they learn that other kids weren't so lucky…]]
* ''Literature/NightfallSeries'': Prince Vladimir [[spoiler: kills a child to teach Myra she's not in control.]]
* One example in which this is caused by an AgeLift; In the ''Literature/WorldsOfPower'' novelization of the first ''VideoGame/NinjaGaiden'' game on the Platform/{{NES}}, [[BigBad Jaquio]] holds the life of a 13-year old Irene Lew for ransom, puts a 13-year old Ryu Hayabusa through a gauntlet and a fight to the death with his brainwashed father; again threatening to kill said father and Irene if Ryu doesn't fight; and attempts to kill Ryu and his father himself. Foster additionally sets all of the above in motion by ordering said 13-year olds to retrieve the Demon statues for him, an act that nearly gets both of them killed, thus falling into the "deliberately placing them in life-threatening situations" definition.
* ''Literature/OttoOfTheSilverHand'': After Baron Conrad of Vuelph kills Baron Frederick of Roderburg, Frederick's nephew Henry swears an oath that no Vuelph that leaves his hands will ever be able to strike a killing blow again. The age of a Vuelph is irrelevant, so when Henry captures Conrad's eleven-year-old son Otto, [[spoiler:he cuts his right hand off]].
* In ''Literature/OutOfTheDark'', the Shongairi have no qualms against this. This comes back to bite them; when some of them attempt to surrender to Buchevsky, he sees the bodies of the children they have killed, is reminded of his own children dead in another attack, and has a PapaWolf moment where he orders LeaveNoSurvivors.
* Several in ''Literature/ThePaleKing''. At least one adult directly attempts to kill Leonard Stecyk as a child. Another hits him with their car, though it's debatable if that was accidental. The rest of them have a little more restraint. There's also an unnamed man in Chapter 8 who is implied to be a sexual predator. And the man who [[spoiler:murders Toni's mother in front of her.]]
* ''Literature/ThePerfectRun'': Adam and Psyshock have no qualms with sending orphaned children to die fighting Mechron's bunker.
* In ''Literature/ThePillarsOfTheEarth'': When the villainous lord William Hamleigh discovers one of his serfs has married without paying a fine en lieu of submitting to DroitDuSeigneur, he decides he wants to rape the wife. To distract her father from interfering William grabs her newborn baby by the ankles and hurls it in the air as high as he can, attacking the woman as her father scrambles to catch his grandchild.
* ''Literature/ThePrincessWeiYang'': Da Furen sends two servants to attempt to kill Min De, who's only about eight, and they would have succeeded if Wei Yang hadn't rescued him in time.
* In the ''Literature/RainbowMagic'' series, Jack Frost has attacked Rachel and Kirsty many times with his ice bolts, once attempting to have icicles rain down on them.
* ''Literature/RavnicaCycle'': In ''Dissension'', the high priestess of the [[ReligionOfEvil Cult of Rakdos]] kidnaps several underage Ledev Guard trainees, the youngest of whom is eleven years old, with the intent to torture them all and [[HumanSacrifice sacrifice]] the eleven-year-old to awaken her demon-god. While her schemes are thwarted and most of the kids are rescued, she kills one of the trainees before that happens and has her reanimated as a horrifying "ragamuffyn" zombie.
* In ''Literature/TheRedVixenAdventures'', this is part of ex-SpacePirate ChildSoldier Alinadar's background. After her own family was murdered by pirates when she was six, she was taken aboard their vessel and trained up to participate in boarding actions, forced to hunt down other children in the hidden spaces of the ships the pirates attacked. Unusually for the trope, she managed a successful HeelFaceTurn and was exonerated from her actions when she eventually went to trial, the judges noting that as a child herself at the time, she had little choice but to obey orders or die.
* Many of the villains of the ''Literature/{{Redwall}}'' series:
** Slagar the Cruel, who kidnaps children and sells them into slavery, not hesitating to abuse and torment them along the way, often just ForTheEvulz.
** Malkariss buys children from Slagar, keeping hundreds of children as slaves in his underground kingdom, ruthlessly abusing and overworking them for the rest of their lives.
** Vilaya the Sable Quean kidnaps the Redwallers' children as ransom for the Abbey. She takes it a step further when she mercilessly kills one of them with her poisoned knife and threatens to do the same to the rest of them if they don't behave.
** Razzid Wearet makes it a point that he enjoys ''eating'' children.
** Cluny the Scourge also makes a passing thought about eating some young rabbits that he sees. A passing reading of his past atrocities by Methusaleh mentions that he ate a few piglets alive and then it becomes more than passing once he threatens to cook and eat a dormouse's family and at the end when he announces that there will be no survivors among his captured enemies (children included).
** Minor villain Warpclaw threatens to and almost kills a baby shrew.
** Mokkan gives a viable threat about killing a baby mouse.
** One of Tsarmina's captains suggests torturing a pair of young hedgehogs for information.
** Ferahgo the Assassin sentences two infant badgers to death by freezing winter conditions.
** Swartt Sixclaw- You know what, let's just say that any and every villain in this series would hurt and/or kill and/or eat a child.
* The world of ''Literature/{{Renegades}}'' is a parent's nightmare.
** The killer from the prologue has no trouble murdering infant Evie, and would've done the same to six-year-old Nova if she didn't knock him out.
** The Detonator has no problem setting a library full of schoolchildren on fire.
** Ace Anarchy, it turns out, isn't much of a standout either, as during the Battle of Gatlon, he apparently did his best to [[spoiler:murder then-infant Max]].
** Max's parents wanted to throw him off the rooftop once they realized what his power was.
* Ryan West's ''Literature/TheRiseOfTheSaxons'' shows the Anglo-Saxons, while on a genocidal war against the Celts, subject Celtic children to all manner of painful ends: they have their heads smashed in with spiked balls, get impaled on spears, are trampeled by horses, are decapitated, have their eyes gouged out, are skewered while still in the womb and more. And the Anglo-Saxons are the ''heroes'' of the novel!
* In ''Literature/SamhainIsland'', Zac outright states that he [[WouldntHurtAChild wouldn't hurt a child]] but that quickly changes when [[spoiler: Sky refuses to give away any information on other monsters.]] René is also a culprit of this, even more so than Zac after he [[spoiler: fired a gun twice at Skyler even though he knew he was young, almost smashed the butt of a gun over his head, and finally, cut his finger off as part of experiment to see if it would reattach again.]]
* ''Literature/ScavengeTheStars'':
** As warden of the debtor ship ''Blackfish'', Captain Zharo specialises in mentally and physically breaking his child prisoners. He is even fine with killing them if it means his profits continue.
** One of Boon's minions ends up killing a child friend of Amaya's in a struggle with the child.
* In ''Literature/ScavengerAlliance'', Cage held an eleven-year-old Blaze over the cooking fire ForTheEvulz when he saw the flames scared her. He also kept Wall from moving against him for years by threatening his daughter Mist.
* Martha Plunkett from the YA novel ''Literature/SecretsNotMeantToBeKept'' runs a preschool that is actually a toddler sex ring, where preschoolers have been psychologically and sexually abused, and exploited for child pornography for nearly twenty years.
* Shoteka from ''Literature/SeekerBears'' was willing to kill Toklo as a cub all because Oka told him off and then kicked his butt.
* Villains in ''Literature/SeptimusHeap'' generally prove that they WouldHurtAChild. The Hunter, for example, goes out to shoot a 10-year old girl with no hesitation whatsoever.
* ''Literature/AShadowBrightAndBurning'': When [[EldritchAbomination Korozoth]] attacks UsefulNotes/{{London}}, he tries to lure [[TheProtagonist Henrietta]] close enough to him that he can swallow her up in the black funnel cloud that surrounds his body. He uses an illusion of Rook, her childhood friend. Luckily, Henrietta's classmates tell her about Korozoth's ability, and she backs away. [[spoiler:He uses an illusion of Charley's siblings to get her to come to him, and he succeeds, swallowing her up, to Henrietta's horror.]]
* In ''Literature/ShamanBlues'', the ghost Witkacy is asked to get rid of is a serial child murderer.
* One of the big reveals in ''Literature/SharpObjects'' is that [[spoiler: Adora poisoned her middle daughter Marian to death, and was on her way to doing the same to her youngest daughter Amma]].
* ''Literature/ShatterTheSky'': Sev relates to Maren how once when the emperor became convinced that people in one city were plotting a rebellion against him, he sent an army over which slaughtered everyone, the children included.
* In ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'', you can assume that any villain will do this:
** Queen Cersei Lannister [[spoiler:has as many of her husband, Robert Baratheon's bastard children murdered as possible, including an infant still at her mother's breast.]]
** When Tyrion Lannister asks the sellsword Bronn if he would go as far as murder an infant without asking questions, Bronn replies, "Not without asking questions. I'd ask, how much?". Ouch.
** Cersei's daughter, Myrcella Baratheon, gets [[spoiler:horribly disfigured by Gerold Dayne, her ear cut off and her cheek ''slashed to the bone''.]]
** When Daenerys Targaryen is marching on Meereen, she finds slave children crucified and disemboweled by the side of the road, their arms outstretched towards the city like signposts.
** When Robert Baratheon learns that 14-year-old Daenerys is pregnant, he [[spoiler:plots to assassinate her.]]
** [[spoiler: After Khal Drogo falls fatally ill from an infected wound, Jorah Mormont [[BrutalHonesty bluntly]] tells Daenerys that when Drogo dies, the first thing his lieutenants will do as they fight to take his place is kill Rhaego, her unborn son by Drogo, the minute he is born. Since he's prophesised to be [[TheChosenOne the Stallion Who Mounts The World]], they reason it's better to kill the boy as an infant, rather than risk him growing up to be a rival. Later, Rhaego does get successfully killed in the womb by Mirri Maz Duur, whose village has been sacked by Drogo in his march to the west]].
** Arya Stark loses two friends to this trope: [[spoiler:Mycah is killed by Sandor Clegane, while Lommy made the mistake of believing that Gregor Clegane's men Wouldn't Hurt a Child. Regarding the former, the Hound rides Mycah down and cuts him ''almost in half'', to the point that a butcher mistakes his remains for a boar at first. He even laughs about it afterwards "He ran, but not very fast."]]
** Even the good guys aren't immune to this: implicit in the fact that Ned Stark took Theon Greyjoy hostage was the assumption that if Theon's father, Lord Balon Greyjoy, tried to rebel again, Ned would kill Theon. And in return, Theon kills [[spoiler:Bran and Rickon Stark]] as soon as he [[spoiler:takes over Winterfell. Except he doesn't, and technically kills two lowborn kids who ''look'' like them (implied to be his own bastards, no less). But the trope still stands.]]
** This trope is the establishing moment for both [[spoiler: Jaime Lannister]] and the series as a whole. When Bran is climbing around the towers of Winterfell, he [[spoiler:sees Jaime and Cersei having sex. Jaime then pushes him out the window to keep him from telling anyone.]] "The things I do for love", indeed.
** Jaime also threatens this to Edmure Tully, and provides the page quote. Whether he would have followed through in that instance remains an open question.
** Stannis Baratheon, under the advice of his wife, Selyse, and the witch Melisandre, plans to sacrifice his thirteen-year-old nephew Edric Storm to R'hllor to gain advantage over his enemies. Davos Seaworth is able to smuggle him out of Dragonstone, but not before his blood is leeched off by Melisandre, who casts a curse that supposedly leads to the deaths of Robb Stark, Balon Greyjoy, and Joffrey Baratheon.
** In the backstory of Robert's Rebellion, Gregor Clegane and Amory Lorch murdered Rhaegar Targaryen's wife and children on the orders of Tywin Lannister. Clegane slammed baby Aegon's head against a wall then raped and murdered Elia Martell while she was still stained by her dead son's blood and brains. His companion Lorch then killed three-year-old Rhaenys. He was pretty sadistic about it, too: the frightened little toddler kicked him, and he stabbed her ''fifty'' times with a sword in a fit of rage. Even Tywin was shocked at the [[EvenEvilHasStandards brutality of it]], though mostly because there were [[PragmaticVillainy more effective ways of killing her]]. This applies to Tywin himself, since he ordered it. In fact, Tywin is known for regularly ordering the deaths of the children of his enemies.
** The backstory book ''Literature/FireAndBlood'' set in the same universe is replete with these as well.
*** [[TheButcher Maegor the Cruel]] [[TheUsurper usurps the Iron Throne]] after the death of his older brother, Aenys. When his sixteen year old nephew Aegon tries to reclaim the throne, Maegor kills him in [[CurbStompBattle a horrifically one-sided battle]], then [[IHaveYourWife takes Aegons' fifteen year old brother Viserys]] as [[TheSquire his squire]] (read hostage) to stop their mother and Aenys' widow, Alyssa Velaryon, from giving her backing to any new rebellions against him. When Alyssa flees captivity with her younger children, Jaehaerys and Alysanne, Maegor has Viserys [[ColdBloodedTorture tortured for days on end]], ignoring the protests of his Kingsguard that Viserys probably has no idea where his mother and siblings have gone, then after Viserys dies after nine days of torture, [[DeadGuyOnDisplay leaves his body on display]] for a fortnight in hopes of luring Alyssa out of hiding to demand [[DueToTheDead her son be given a proper burial]].
*** The final victim of Androw Farman's [[SerialKiller killing spree]] on Dragonstone was the fourteen year old Lianna Velaryon.
*** The SuccessionCrisis known as the Dance of the Dragons turns [[CivilWar violent]] after Prince Aemond Targaryen, younger brother of [[TheUsurper King Aegon II]], murders his cousin/nephew Lucerys Velaryon, second son of Rhaenyra Targaryen, who had been designated as their father, Viserys I's rightful heir. Aemond's own faction are appalled by his stupidity, as Lucerys was fifteen, unarmed and a herald under the protection of diplomatic immunity; at the time, they'd hoped they could still negotiate a peaceful resolution with Rhaenyra, but killing one of her children ensured [[ThisMeansWar she would never accept a diplomatic solution]]. Lucerys's stepfather, Prince Daemon Targaryen, in the belief King Aegon sanctioned the murder, hires assassins to kill Aegon's elder son and heir, Prince Jaehaerys, in front of his mother, Helaena, and [[HarmfulToMinors siblings]], Jaehaera and Maelor, in retaliation, leaving them all traumatised. Prince Maelor is later inadvertently killed by an angry mob during efforts to smuggle him to safety as the war turns against his father.
*** Having already traumatised his infant nephew Aegon by [[ForcedToWatch forcing him to watch]] [[FedTotheBeast his mother's execution]], when an enemy army loyal to Rhaenyra is about to lay siege to his capital, King Aegon II refuses to surrender, and orders one of his cronies to mutilate his nephew and send the severed pieces to the enemy commanders as a warning to stand down. Unfortunately for King Aegon, a large number of his courtiers decides they won't die for a lost cause, [[ThePurge assassinate him and his supporters]], proclaim the boy King Aegon III and negotiate a truce with the enemy.
*** There is a mountain of circumstantial evidence that suggests King Aegon III's [[EvilChancellor Hand of the King]] [[{{Slimeball}} Unwin Peake]] was behind the deaths and injuries on numerous children in his pursuit of [[AmbitionIsEvil power at court to benefit his family]]. It's implied he arranged the murder of Queen Jaehaera Targaryen (herself a traumatised ten year old girl) to leave Aegon free to marry his daughter, Myrielle. After [[EveryoneHasStandards the rest of the realm's nobility put a stop to that plan]] (Peake didn't do himself any favours by betrothing Aegon to Myrielle seven days after Jaehaera's death, which [[EvenEvilHasStandards even his own cronies considered unseemly]]), Peake is implied to have arranged the [[MaliciousSlander disgrace]] and even mutilation of several other women and young girls who might be seen as a more suitable bride for the young king than his daughter. After the plan failed and Peake was forced to leave court, it's generally believed that Peake was the mastermind behind two assassination attempts on Aegon (the first was an attempted poisoning that nearly killed Daenaera Velaryon, the girl who was picked to be his queen [[EvilIsPetty instead of Myrielle]], and did claim the life of Gaemon Palehair, Aegon's eight year old best friend and cupbearer; the second was an attempted [[TheCoup coup]] with the aim of killing Aegon and putting his younger brother Viserys on the throne as a PuppetKing for Peake [[TheManBehindTheMan to rule through]]).
* ''Literature/SpaceGlass'': Marvelous Dagon beats up a professor's teenage daughter.
* ''Franchise/StarTrek'':
** ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'': In the [[Franchise/StarTrekExpandedUniverse novel]] "Bloodletter" a group of Bajoran religious extremists called the Redemptorists are shut out of the Bajoran government after the Cardassians leave. This leads them to seize a Bajoran temple and take the people inside hostages. To show how serious they were the Redemptorists killed one of the hostages - a 12 year old boy - and threw him out of the temple gates.
** ''Literature/StarTrekForgedInFire'':
*** When the Moj'ih sees the infant she had just delivered, she coldly orders the baby be put to death since he was a sickly albino. However, her servant Do'Yoj refused to go through with the killing and left the baby out to fend for himself. The baby was rescued by a pair of Orion pirates and raised by them. Named Qagh (the Klingon word for mistake), the baby grows up to become the infamous pirate known as [[Recap/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS02E19BloodOath The Albino]].
*** Qagh himself proves that he was perfectly willing to target the children of his enemies, as he did to the childern of Kor, Kang, Koloth, and Hikaru Sulu. He also led Curzon Dax to decide not to have children, fearing that Qagh would also target them.
* ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'':
** ''Literature/DarthBane'' has no qualms about harming children to further his own ends. When a family of scavengers happens upon a poisoned Bane, he slaughters them all, children first, so that he can draw enough strength from their father's anguish to keep the poison at bay and seek out healing.
** Everyone villainous in ''Literature/GalaxyOfFear''. The kids start off 13- and 12-years-old, respectively, and there's no shortage of people willing to do awful, awful things to them.
** ''Literature/TheHanSoloTrilogy'': Jabba, and not just any child, but his infant cousin. After his aunt is killed, Jabba kills the kid to insure his succession to leadership of their clan.
* ''Literature/{{Stardoc}}''. Well, let's see: The Hsktskt [[spoiler:(or at least, [[MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch many]] of them)]] are the obvious ones. [[spoiler:[[{{Yandere}} Ktarka Zamlon Torin]]]] would have killed Fasala (who was about five at the time)—or at least left her to die—without a qualm; ''any'' [[spoiler:member of her adoptive clan]] was fair game. And then, there's what Joseph Grey Veil did to [[spoiler:the male clones]].
* ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive'':
** ''Literature/WordsOfRadiance'': We find out that when she was eleven, Shallan survived an attack [[spoiler:from her own mother. Shallan had begun to develop Surgebinding powers, and Shallan's mother was convinced this would bring about a new [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt Desolation]], and so tried to kill her. Then Shallan manifested her [[SoulCuttingBlade Shardblade]] and killed her]]. [[BrokenBird Shallan was mute for months, and barely interacted with anyone besides her brothers for years]].
** Nale, aka Darkness aka Nalan'Elin, Herald of Justice has been using any even tenuously legal excuse to kill Surgebinders in a deranged attempt to prevent a new Desolation. This includes a thirteen year old petty thief.
* In ''Literature/TheStrangeCaseOfDrJekyllAndMrHyde'', assaulting a young girl and walking over her is what first drew Utterson's attention to Hyde, who is Dr. Jekyll's heir. Because Hyde pays the girl's family off to keep the incident quiet with a cheque in Jekyll's signature, Utterson believes Hyde is blackmailing Jekyll. [[ItWasHisSled (Of course, the truth is very different, as everyone knows.)]]
* ''Literature/SurvivorDogs'':
** Members of the Fierce Dog Pack have no issue harming or killing pups. Blade kills Morningstar and two of her pups (Wiggle and an unnamed one). Her and the rest of her pack routinely bully Fang and she later [[spoiler:kills him]]. Blade even killed her own son. The Fierce Dogs have killed a fox kit and they routinely fought Storm when she was still considered a pup.
** Alpha had a paw almost chewed off by a Fierce Dog as a pup. This led to his resentment of all Fierce Dogs as an adult.
** Alpha was ready to kill Morningstar's three pups just because they were Fierce Dogs. He didn't want them to grow up to become dangerous enemies. He's talked out of it by the rest of the pack, who decide that they shouldn't be scorned just for their breed.
* ''Literature/SweepTheStoryOfAGirlAndHerMonster'':
** After Wilkie Crudd has Nan at his mercy, he reveals that he has to present her body to a board of people so that the reputation of A Clean Sweep can be restored. He states she doesn't necessarily need to be alive, and tries to shove her in a fireplace to kill her.
** When the child chimney sweeps start protesting at the May Day Parade, their masters take umbridge to it, to the point they openly beat the kids in front of a large crowd of people (they were drunk at the time).
* ''Literature/SweetValleyHigh'' had a mini-arc involving Margo, a serial killer who resembles the twins and plans to kill Elizabeth and take over her life. She murders her five-year-old foster sister, another child for whom she had been hired as a nanny, and tries to kill a third child she was babysitting.
* ''Literature/TheSwordOfTruth'':
** Both of the series' major villains, Darken Rahl and Emperor Jangang. Rahl sacrifices children in magic rituals and kills any of his own offspring born without the ability to use magic. Jagang uses magic to start a plague, infecting a group of children as its first victims.
** The Confessors drown their newborn male children. They justify it because male Confessors recover from using their power of [[MoreThanMindControl Confession]] within seconds instead of days and have invariably ended up abusing and corrupted by their power.
** In a scene frequently mocked by the series's {{Hatedom}}, the hero of the series, Richard, has been taken prisoner and tortured repeatedly. He's paraded in front of a ten-year-old RoyalBrat who gleefully participates in torturing him, but when she threatens to have Richard's true love tortured too, he finds the strength to fight back, kicking her across the room, breaking her jaw, and nearly killing her.
* ''Literature/TalionRevenant'':
** The soldiers who came for Nolan's family had no compunction about murdering the children too.
** [[spoiler:Marana]] was left to die as a baby by her family due to being considered demonic.
* "Literature/TalmaGordon": Captain Gordon's killer kills not only the Captain and his wife but also their baby son.
* ''Literature/ThirdTimeLuckyAndOtherStoriesOfTheMostPowerfulWizardInTheWorld'': In "Be It Ever So Humble" Warlord Herrick casually murders Juan, a nine year old boy, when Magdelene refuses to serve him.
* In ''Literature/TheThreeHostages'', one of the three hostages being held by the villain is a small boy, who will be murdered along with the others if he is not rescued in time.
* ''Franchise/TolkiensLegendarium'':
** ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'': Gollum was willing to prey on children when Gandalf mentions that he was looking for food in isolated houses and that [[EatsBabies it slipped through windows to find cradles.]]
** In ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'', the sons of Fëanor commit all sorts of nasty things, but even they do ''not'' willingly hurt children; the murder of the sons of Dior is left to one of their "cruel servants" (although they were arguably responsible for the occasion arising).
** ''Literature/TheFallOfGondolin'': Maeglin attempts to murder his cousin Idril's seven-year-old son Ëarendil by throwing him off the walls and into the flames burning below. When he spots Tuor approaching quickly, Maeglin decides to stab Ëarendil in the chest. Unfortunately for him, Idril foresaw his betrayal, and his knife is blocked by Êarendil's chainmail. Unfortunately for him, too, Tuor objects to his son's attempted murder by flinging Maeglin off the wall.
* ''Literature/TortallUniverse'':
** ''Literature/ProtectorOfTheSmall'': The Nothing Man doesn’t ''need'' to use the souls of children to power his killing devices; mages agree that the age of the soul is irrelevant. He just likes to.
** ''Literature/TrickstersDuet'': In ''Trickster's Queen'', [[spoiler:Rubinyan and Imajane, the regents for child king Dunevon, eventually have mages conjure up a storm to kill him and his heir, his cousin Elsren, in order to take the throne for themselves.]]
** The first book in the ''Literature/BekaCooper'' trilogy revolves around the Shadow Snake, a serial kidnapper. If the parents don't pay the items the Snake demands (a book, a necklace, etc.), the child dies — and if there are more children, the Snake goes onto one of them. Beka's friend Tansy lost her three-year-old boy this way. And in the third book, [[spoiler:rebels kidnap and plot to murder the young Prince, killing every child in the Summer Palace and then numerous more child slaves as distractions or because the children were seen talking to Beka. Then Tunstall kills a young slave boy who helped them escape, and tries to murder the Prince.]]
* In ''Literature/VampireAcademy'', the Strigoi who invaded the Badica household slaughtered the children found there.
* In ''Literature/VoidCity'', Eric has a strict moral code against harming children, but his daughter Greta has no such compunctions. She cheerfully offers to kill children whenever necessary so that Eric doesn't have to do it himself, and asks him at one point if he's okay with killing teenagers or if she should do that herself too.
* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'', ''Literature/GauntsGhosts:'' Shows up from time to time in the series, mostly perpetrated by the [[LegionsOfHell Archenemy]]. The prime examples are here.
** In ''Ghostmaker'', the forces of Chaos have overrun a planet named Caligula. During the liberation effort, Master Sniper Hlaine "Mad" Larkin notices a series of dolls nailed to a wall, in a seemingly senseless act of brutality - [[KickTheDog probably to subdue the population]]. He's quite upset about that. Then he notices that some of the dolls ''[[MoralEventHorizon aren't dolls]]''. He promptly throws up at that.
** In ''Salvation's Reach'', the Archenemy Assassin [[MasterOfDisguise Sirkle]] grabs the adopted daughter of Tona Criid and tries to use her as a human shield, nearly strangling her in the process. [[DeathFromAbove It doesn't work.]] The child survives though, thanks to the efforts of [[CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass Elodie Dutana]].
* In the ''Literature/WarriorCats'' series, there are a few examples:
** Originally, cats would start training to fight as kits; this was stopped after too many kits died in battle. As a result, cats must be six moons old to begin apprenticeship and they're usually barred from serious battle until they're warriors (at least twelve moons). Brokenstar breaks this law when he insists on brutally training kits at too young an age, and actually fights them himself in training, killing them.
** Tigerstar kills Gorsepaw in ''The Darkest Hour'' for no other reason than to bring fear to [=WindClan=].
** Darkstripe attempts to kill Sorrelkit because [[HeKnowsTooMuch she caught him meeting Blackfoot on their territory.]]
** At his mentor's urging, Tigerstar mauls Scourge. He was an apprentice and Scourge was ''a kit''. [[SarcasmMode Gee thanks, Thistleclaw]].
** The Dark Forest cats appear to have no qualms about attacking kits or elders, because a [=ShadowClan=] kit ends up dead during the final battle.
** In ''Thunder Rising'', when Clear Sky's group finds orphaned kits, it says a lot about who Clear Sky is becoming that his instinctive reaction is to suggest [[MercyKill Mercy Killing]] them, rather than to have his group adopt them or find someone else who can.
* ''Literature/WhateleyUniverse'':
** The Mafiosi in "Mimeographic" who were perfectly willing to kill a twelve-year-old boy unless the kid attempted to commit murder for them.
** Also, Jared Reilley's father, who -- once he decided for no rational reason that Jared might not be his son - tried to beat Jared to death with his bare hands. [[spoiler:He only failed because Jared manifested as a mutant under the stress.]]
* In ''Literature/WhenDemonsWalk'', the demon villain's plan involves killing a [[spoiler: newborn]] child, presumably in a horrible manner. [[spoiler: The plan is, of course, thwarted by the heroine, even though she doesn't know about it, it's her working against the demon that also prevents this plan from being carried out.]]
* In ''Literature/WhereAreTheChildren'', the villain, Courtney Parrish, has kidnapped, sexually violated and killed several children over the years, including the protagonist Nancy's two eldest children, whom she was falsely accused of killing. He intends to do the same to her two younger children, knowing Nancy will likely be blamed again. [[spoiler:He's also revealed to be [[OffingTheOffspring the father]] of Nancy's deceased children]].
* ''Literature/WingsOfFire'':
** The book begins with Burn throwing a soon-to-be-hatched egg off of a cliff.
** Numerous dragonets born on the Brightest Night were ordered to be killed in order to make sure TheProphecy couldn't come true. It didn't work.
** Scarlet was going to kill [[spoiler:Kestrel's]] twins. She forced [[spoiler:Kestrel]] to kill one of the dragonets. Scarlet then betrayed her and tried to kill the other dragonet. [[spoiler:She ultimately let the dragonet live and raises Peril as her own lil' TykeBomb]].
* ''Literature/TheWrathOfAmbar'' series by Tanaz Bhathena contains the sadistic and power hungry warrior, Shayla, who serves as a POV character and the primary antagonist. Shayla actively delights in tormenting and killing children. Her opening scene consists of her brutally slaughtering a village and slowly crushing a small child's skull beneath her boot. Later she forces another child to lick her boots clean on the threat of death, being the sadist that she is, she murders the boy even after he complies.

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